More Than The Sea
by Sunneh-Cat
Summary: When another pirate makes a bet with Captain Jack, what could go wrong...? [safety rated]
1. Making The Bet

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters. Livna and Thorn, however, are my own creations, as are their histories and what not.

Finally I get my first story up here! I'm not exactly proud of this fanfic in general, but my friends who've read it seem to like it. Please rate and review. I don't mind flames, but they're not exactly appreciated xD

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Making the Bet

"Excuse me, Captain," the tone of the female pirate's voice was somewhere in between mocking and incredibly amused. "But you mean to tell me that one such as yourself has never been in love?"

Jack turned to face her, looking mildly hurt. "I have too, and I am to this day. How many times must I tell you, Thorn, my first and only love is-"

She cut him off, slight sigh escaping her pale lips as she rolled her eyes. "The sea, I know. You've told me a thousand times. And if you're so certain that your 'first and only love is the sea,' then why don't we have a…a bet?"

Jack glanced sideways at her, tightening his grip on the ship's neatly carved wheel. "What kind of a bet?" he inquired, looking mildly interested.

Thorn smiled smugly, looking happy with herself. "Give me seven days to get you to fall in love. And," she continued matter-of-factly. "There are no stakes."

This last statement caused Jack to raise an eyebrow. "If there are no stakes, what's the point of a bet?"

Thorn once again rolled her eyes. "I just want to prove you wrong, as usual, Captain." She finished with a smirk, a trait that could've easily been picked up from Jack himself, then stalked down the other end of the deck. Once she was far enough away, she glanced over her shoulder towards Jack. Of course, seeing him watching her with utmost caution and curiosity (apologies for the reference to the movie…) only increased the smug expression that seemed permanently settled on her face.

"Hmm, what's got you so smug today, Thorn?" Another girl, appearing a few years older than Thorn, approached her about halfway through her path to the bow of the ship. She had a face and figure much like Thorn's, although she was taller. And if you were to ask Thorn about her, she would tirelessly reply that she was much prettier.

"Nothing, Liv, nothing." Thorn replied, looking up at the woman who happened to be her sister.

In one word, Livna was beautiful. Her name meant 'White Rose' and fit her quite perfectly. She had fair complexion and a face, framed by feathery wheat-blonde locks. Thorn had indeed taken the meaning of her sister's name into mind when choosing a 'pirate name' to go by. Roses would be perfect, had they not the small burden of thorns adorning their stems. And, although Livna would never admit it, she often got the feeling that without her, Livna would be as perfect as she never ceased to appear.

Exhaling sharply at her own thoughts, she was brought back to reality when Livna spoke again.

"Oh pl-ease, Thorn. Nothing means everything with you. And I'm guessing it has something to do with Jack? Who you love…" she muttered that last part nearly inaudibly under her breath, though it still earned her a glare from Thorn.

"Oh, pl-ease." She echoed, raising her eyebrows. "I don't love him. I hardly even like him! What're you thinking!"

Livna shrugged her off. "Personally, I think you're in denial. But" she continued without giving her sister a chance to cut her off. "Let's drop that, and you can tell me what you did to him this time."

Thorn grinned malevolently. "Oh, we just made a…a bet with no stakes." She explained, the usual sarcastic malice edging her words. She ignored the 'you're insane' look shot at her by Livna, and continued. "I've got seven days to prove that the sea isn't always going to be his 'first and only love.' In other words, I've got a week to get the dear Captain to fall for someone. But that shouldn't be so hard when we've got you on board." She replied, the tiniest hint of jealousy hidden behind a wall of happiness. "I mean, if it's alright with you, of course?" she added, glancing up at her fair-haired companion.

A half-smirk half-grin had spread across Livna's face, and she immediately nodded. "Yes…that's quite alright."

Thorn watched her curiously for a moment. "Why so excited about this?" she questioned, dropping one eyebrow.

Livna just continued grinning. "Nothing, Thorn, nothing." But before Thorn had a chance to reply, she had disappeared into the cabin she slept in.

Deciding that it wasn't worth the trouble of going down and talking to her now, Thorn stayed where she was, leaning on the edge of the ship, gazing out at the now darkened sea. She remained that way for quite some time before retreating to the cabin. Her eyelids were half closed and she hardly even noticed that Livna was already asleep.


	2. IOU

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters. If I did, there would be no such thing as Jackliz, but let's not get into my opinions on pairings. Thorn and Livna are my own creations.

Well, here's chapter two! Chapters three, four, and five are all going up tonight because they've been collecting dust in a folder on my computer for the past couple of weeks. Hope you enjoy it!

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IOU

"Just look at her." Thorn said insistently, sounding as though she was trying desperately to sell something to Jack as she slid one arm around his shoulders, pointing to Livna. "You don't know how perfect you two would be! Can't you at least give her a chance?"

Jack watched the light-haired girl standing at the edge of the ship for a long moment, looking thoughtful. "Nope." He finally said, smiling and pulling away from Thorn. "How many times do I have to tell you, love?"

Thorn cut him off before he had a chance to continue with his usual story. "Trust me Jack, one day you're going to want something other than your beloved sea." _And for my sake it better be within the next six days. _She thought to herself, exhaling. "Trust me." She left her position at his side, walking down the deck towards Livna.

Jack watched her walk for a long time, contemplating more than a few things. Why was she so set on getting him to fall in love? Honestly, he didn't even believe in falling in love! And not under any circumstances did Thorn cause his heart to beat just a little bit faster. Definitely not. But then, why was his heart beating faster?

Thorn's cat-walk stalk came to an end when she reached her sister's side, gripping the edge of the ship with both hands, glaring down at the water.

Livna rolled her eyes, the wind gently tussling her hair as she glanced sideways at Thorn. "What's happened this time, Thornie?" she inquired, resting her chin in the palm of one hand.

Thorn ignored her sister's 'endearing' nickname, finding no reason to beat around the bush. "It's Jack. He is so annoying! He won't even consider giving you a chance." Her British accent was edged with sheer annoyance. "I refuse to loose this bet!"

A deep sigh escaped the petal-soft lips of her taller sibling, eyelids lowering halfway over light blue eyes. "What's the problem with loosing the bet? You wouldn't be loosing anything, nor would Jack be gaining anything."

Thorn looked at her as though this was the single most insane question that she could've asked. "Are you kidding? Of course he'd be gaining something! If he wins this bet, he'll hold it over my head for the rest of my life."

Livna was silent for a moment, seeming to be incredibly interested in watching the waves roll by. "If you're really set on winning, then maybe I could help you get Mr. Sparrow to fall for me. I can act as though I'm infatuated with him, if I truly must."

Thorn's expression brightened, tilting her head slightly. "You'd really do that for me? Thanks, Liv! I owe you one, big time." She exclaimed cheerily, stepping away from the edge and walking towards the bow of the ship, wanting to see the sunset.

Once she was out of earshot, Livna pushed a strand of pale hair that had fallen astray from the rest out of her eyes, smile edged with malevolence twisting her features. "Yes, sister, you owe me _big time." _

Thorn was standing at the bow, gazing dreamily towards the last dying rays of sunlight that painted fiery colors across the darkening canvas of sky. She had become accustomed to watching sunsets alone, and she nearly jumped when Jack's voice sounded behind her.

"'lo Thorn." He greeted, moving to stand beside her, leaning on the ship's railing. "You didn't bribe your sister, did you? She's been…all over me lately." He finished, laughing slightly.

The faintest inkling of a smile turned the corners of Thorn's mouth up, shrugging slightly. "No, I'm afraid I didn't. Don't s'pose you ever thought that she might like you?" She replied, over-emphasizing the last two words.

"The thought never crossed my mind, I'm afraid." Jack replied, infamous smirk easily visible on his face. He was silent for a long while, as they both watched the last sliver of golden-orange sun dip below the horizon, it's final colors sparkling over the waters, as the sky forwent it's final transformation from a pastel-blue to dark navy.

Had Thorn not known herself better, she would say that her heart was beating faster. But, of course, she did know herself better. A rather depressing thought crossed her mind that this might actually have been romantic, had she been with someone she could actually stand to be around for more than a few minutes. Shaking away this thought, she turned back to look at Jack.

"Did you honestly come all the way down here just to see if I had bribed Livna?" Thorn asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them, words coming out quieter than she had intended from the weight of the night. The humidity clung to her body, and each time the slightest of breezes blew past, she was thankful.

Jack shrugged slightly. "A Captain can't take a stroll around his own ship before retreating to his quarters for the night?"

Thorn sighed, smiling slightly. "Of course you can, Jack. I just thought you might've needed something?"

Jack studied her for a moment, part of him wondering if she could here the fast-paced thudding of his heart. "Thorn…I wanted to tell you…." He trailed off, dark eyes fixed on a chip in the wooden flooring of the deck. No, he couldn't tell her what he was thinking. Not now…not ever. He glanced back up at her, expecting the look of confusion on her face.

She raised her eyebrows, prompting him to finish.

"That you're loosing this bet." He finished, smirking as he pushed past her, walking in the direction of his cabin.

Now it was the female pirate's turn to stare after him, jolted back to reality by the sound of his door closing.


	3. Not What I Expected

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters, although Livna and Thorn do belong to me. My best friend Leah (Scarlett-Excelsior) gets credit for thinking up the title of this chapter as well as the title of the story in its entirety.

Okay, I wrote this chapter at 2 in the morning so I apologize if it's not the best ever. Leah, you should be happy, Will is introduced in this chapter :) Enjoy!

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Not What I Expected

The third bang on the door to the room Thorn slept in finally caused her to wake up. Rolling onto her side, she could see sunlight streaming in through the windows. She couldn't help but notice that Livna's hammock, which was directly across from hers, was unoccupied. Guessing that she was up on deck already schmoozing Jack, she sat up, sliding into her boots and standing up, stretching. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" was her answer to another loud banging on the door, and it seemed to silence whoever was knocking. "Oh, Will. Good…afternoon?" she said in greeting to him. "What d'you need?" she finished, wondering what the reason for her early cabin call was.

Will shrugged slightly, tipping his head backwards. "Sorry to have to wake you. I jus' thought you might like to see this."

Looking over his shoulder, she saw Livna standing _much_ too close to Jack, her laugh soft and sweet like the tinkling of bells.

"Maybe you'll win the bet after all, eh?" Will commented. He had turned around and was watching the two as well.

Thorn's expression was unreadable, though she felt a stab of the feeling she loathed most in the word; envy. Actually, envy was much like a pet peeve to her, although she didn't really know why. Everyone would be better off without envy, or so she saw it.

"What do you think you're doing!" The sun had dipped low in the sky now, and soon the sky would once more be a canvas to the sunset; and what an amazing artist it was. Thorn was standing beside Livna at the bow of the ship, her voice harsh, cutting through the heavy, hot air. Livna looked quite taken aback, and Thorn could've sworn that pure hatred flashed momentarily in her blue eyes.

"What do you mean? You wanted me to try and help you win the bet, and that's what I'm doing!" Livna exclaimed, expression a mixture of anger and hurt. "I want to do something for you and this is how you thank me?"

Thorn exhaled sharply, her own gaze hardening. "You said that you'd act like you loved him!" she retorted.

"What do you think I'm doing!" Livna shot back.

Thorn snorted slightly. "Yeah right, like that was acting. I think you really do like him." She finished matter-of-factly, still sounding angry.

"Trust me, Thorn, I don't really like him. And even if I did, why would you care?" she continued, not giving her sister a chance to cut in. She was getting rather good at doing that… "You're jealous, Thorn, face it. You like Jack. And don't bother telling me you don't unless you have actual proof."

Thorn opened her mouth to reply, but Livna didn't want to hear it. She turned, storming back into their cabin.

Long after the echoing sound of the slammed door had faded into the night, Thorn closed her mouth, blinking slowly and turning her gaze down to the ocean. She did not like Jack…She didn't.

Realizing that she and Livna had argued through the sunset, she found no other purpose for staying above deck. Unless of course Jack was still awake…She gave a shake to her head, trying to push away that thought. Even if Jack was still awake, she had no purpose of staying above deck. She needed to get some sleep anyway.

As her hand came in contact with the wooden doorknob, she stopped, a sudden thought reaching her. There was a way that she could prove to Livna that she didn't love Jack. But finding a way to get the thing that would give her access to this proof would be incredibly difficult. But Jack's compass was the only way she could truly prove that Jack wasn't the thing she wanted most. Sadly, she doubted _Hey Jack; can I see your compass for a moment? No, no, I haven't heard of any new treasure. I just need to prove to my sister that I don't love you. _would be very effective.

Perhaps she should take the advice of the old saying, "Sleep on it." Once again she took the doorknob in her hand, quietly pulling it open and sliding inside, thankful for the comfort her hammock provided, and was asleep almost instantaneously after lying down.


	4. A Change Of Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters. Thorn and Livna belong to me.

Yup, here's the fourth chapter. Nothing much to say about this one, except that it's pretty short. Hope you like it.

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A Change Of Plans

"Come _on_ Will, please?" Thorn's voice was insistent, hands clasped together in front of her. It appeared as though she had been badgering him like this for quite some time now. The two were standing out on deck near the door to Thorn's cabin. Thorn had conveniently positioned herself in front of Will so that he blocked the bright rays of sunlight streaming her way, preventing her from having to squint or go blind.

"Why can't you do it yourself?" Will inquired, knowing he was going to get the exact same answer he had gotten the first four times he asked.

"I could do it myself. Or, you could do it for me and save us both quite a bit of trouble." She counteracted, obviously not planning on backing down any time soon. "If you don't agree to do it for me, I'm going to continue trying to convince you for quite a while longer. If I don't succeed, I'm going to have to sneak into Jack's cabin tonight but you'll _already_ be in there! He won't suspect anything if you're in there because you're _always_ in there at night!" she persisted, sighing slightly. "Come on, Will, please?" She stared at him, unceasingly batting her dark eyelashes.

Will was silent for a moment longer, then sighed and shook his head. "The things I do for you, honestly." And he really had done a lot for her between the day she first joined the crew up to that very day. Since the day she had set foot on the Pearl, they had had what one might call a brother-sister relationship. He probably knew more about her than even her blood sister did.

Actually, she was positive that he did, because she told him things about her blood sister that she would never even dream of saying to Livna's face. She threw her arms around Will, smiling. "Thanks Will. I owe you!" she nearly squealed, letting go of him and stepping back. "Be careful though. I'll see you later tonight. Good luck!" Her words were rushed, but she couldn't help it. If it hadn't been made quite obvious already, Thorn loved proving people wrong. If Will succeeded in finding her the compass, she would be able to prove Livna wrong that very night. Something about this made her smile seem permanent once more.

Much later, Thorn had retreated to her cabin. She was alone in the room she shared with Livna, though she kind of hoped her sister would be joining her soon. She was lying on her back on her hammock, staring up at the ceiling and contemplating quite a few things in her mind. What was probably the most important of these things was if Will could actually find and take the compass, give it to her, she could get proof, return it to Will, and he could somehow manage to get it back exactly where it had been without Jack waking up and/or noticing anything. Now that she laid it out like that, it seemed a bit more complicated than it originally had…For a long moment she even thought about going and telling Will to just forget the whole thing. And then Livna walked in, and her mind was made up.

"Got that proof you were so lovingly discussing earlier?" she asked, easing herself into a laying position on the hammock across the room from Thorn, smirking slightly as she waited for an answer.

Thorn, not really wanting to tell her sister about the 'plan' she and Will had come up with, merely shrugged. "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss that right now." She replied, brow raised in subtle amusement. "But I can promise you that I'll have it by the end of the night."

This seemed to both satisfy Livna, as well as cause her anticipation. "But can you really prove me wrong?" she asked, rolling onto her other side so that her back was to Thorn. Now all there was left to do was wait.

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Like I said, this chapter was pretty short xP I hope you liked it anyway! By the way, the next chapter is a bit long, so it makes up for this one! 


	5. Denial

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters. Thorn and Livna belong to me. My friend Christina gets credit for a few of the ideas in this chapter, but it was all written by me.

Well here you go, chapter 5! This is the longest chapter so far, and it's a little bit hard to follow, I know. Leah, be happy again. This chapter is almost all Will xD

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Denial

Will was in the room he shared with Jack, lying with his back to the Captain in his own hammock, pretending to be asleep. That didn't really take much, though, because Jack appeared to be drunk, as usual. Turning his head to glance over his shoulder, it appeared that Jack was already dead asleep. But just to be sure, he allowed another couple of minutes of silence before sitting and then standing up. His movements were slow and cautious, and it was quite obvious that he was trying to be as silent as possible. Anyone sneaking around in someone's room trying to take something belonging to that someone would be acting quite the same way; it was instinct, or something close to it.

About ten minutes later, he had learned quite a few things, all of which were equally unhelpful. The compass wasn't on Jack's desk, or in one of the many drawers accompanying it. It wasn't on any of the other various tables that were scattered about the room, and he was quite positive that it wasn't anywhere on his side of the room. He gave the room a final sweeping glance and was just about to lay back down and go to sleep, knowing he would have to tell Thorn that he couldn't find it in the morning, when his gaze rested on the very item in question. It appeared that Jack, drunk as usual, had pretty much collapsed on his bed. This could be considered a good thing for Will, since the compass was, as it always was, hooked on Jack's belt.

Was it really worth the risk of waking him up just to do this one little favor for Thorn? Well, it probably would be best to just try and get it now because he was drunk, meaning it would probably be harder to wake him up. Taking a last deep breath, he half-tiptoed over to stand at Jack's bedside.

Trying not to make the slightest noise – even his own breathing sounded much too loud right now – Will reached out with one arm as slowly as he possibly could, squinting slightly, until he felt the smooth surface of the compass's top beneath his fingertips. Blinking his eyes fully open, he tilted his head to one side, trying to determine how exactly it was attached to the belt. It appeared that it was hooked on. _Good_ he thought to himself, smiling slightly. _That shouldn't be too hard to get off… _

Grasping the compass, he unhooked it as slowly and quietly as he could, with surprisingly steady fingers. He almost couldn't believe that he was going to be done so quickly. But he had the compass referred to as 'broken' by so many individuals in his hand; now all he had to do was get it to Thorn and get it back on Jack's belt. It had been easy enough to get off, so he doubted the rest of their little plan would prove to be very much trouble.

"You'd better be happy." Will muttered, tossing Thorn the compass. He was sitting beside her on her hammock, after safely making it out of Jack's room and into Thorn's. Livna was sleeping soundly, but he and Thorn exchanged words in whispers just to be safe.

Thorn grinned, feeling the smooth outer casing of the compass, feeling almost afraid to open it; fearing what she might find, perhaps? She looked up at Will, waving an arm towards the door. "You have to go back now. I haven't exactly told Livna what we were doing. I'll return it by tomorrow morning, I promise." She finished.

Will opened his mouth the protest, but knew he wasn't going to change the headstrong pirate's mind. He sighed slightly, then stood and walked to the door. "You owe me." He mouthed, stepping out onto the dark deck, just faintly lit by moonlight, closing the door behind him.

As if she could forget. But the important thing now was that she had the compass. Taking a final deep, readying breath, she flipped open the lid of the compass. For a moment that seemed to drag on for hours, she watched the hand of the compass swing back and forth, as if it couldn't make up its mind on what she wanted. Then it stopped.

She looked up, trying to visualize what was beyond the wall it was pointing towards. She felt her heart drop into her stomach as she realized what she had secretly feared this entire time had just happened; Jack's room was beside theirs. But that didn't mean Jack was what she wanted most. There were plenty of other things in that general direction…

There was only one way to truly figure out wether or not the compass was referring to Jack or something different altogether, and that was to actually use the compass while inside Jack's room. Besides, she had to go in there anyway to put the compass back. She eased herself into a standing position, not wanting to wake Livna right now; that would take way too much explaining than she had the patience or the energy to do right now. Sliding out of the room, she made her way gropingly across the dimly lit deck until she found the door of Jack's room. She stepped inside, the cool night air outside giving way to a pleasantly warm atmosphere.

She could see Will lying with his back to her on his own hammock, and he appeared to be asleep already. Trying to figure out where he had gotten the compass from in the first place would be too time consuming. She could either leave the compass with Will and hope that he woke up before Jack, or just leave it on Jack's desk and hope he thought that he had left it there the night before. Deciding her second choice made more sense, she slid it onto one of the few uncluttered spaces on the desk.

Remembering that she had actually planned on using it before she left it here, she picked it up again. Her hand had grown accustomed to its smooth surface and shape, even though she had only been using it for a few minutes now. Flipping the top open with one hand, she felt her breath catch in her throat; this time the arrow hadn't even swung around once, but instead pointed straight at the sleeping figure of Jack.

Shutting it immediately, she had to literally force herself not to slam it down on the desk. This was impossible! She made her way back to the door, forcing herself not to look at Jack as she passed by him. She was back on deck within seconds, and just a moment after that, back in her own room. Lying down on the hammock, she sighed. All this to find proof that now seemed to be nonexistent. And what would Will say when she told him? Sighing slightly, she closed her eyes in hopes that sleep would find her soon so she would get a good few hours without this clinging worry.

Well, now she was certain that Jack's stupid, bartered compass was broken. But…it had worked in so many previous instances.

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That was kind of long...anyway, I hope you liked it! That's the last of the chapters I had already typed up and ready to be uploaded, so now I actually have to get back to writing. I'll probably update sometime tomorrow, but I can't garuntee anything. Please R&R!


	6. LeatherBound Secrets

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters. Thorn and Livna are my own creations.

This chapter isn't the greatest, since I wrote it at 2-3 in the morning. But it does explain a lot about some things that are going to be happening in later chapters, so it's kind of important. Anyway, enjoy.

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Leather-Bound Secrets

It was now well into the afternoon of the next morning, and Thorn was pacing around in her cabin. She had been out on deck earlier, but had avoided everyone as best she could. Deciding it would be more productive to stay in here where she could be alone with her thoughts, she had managed to slip away from everyone. She was incredibly glad to be alone, after the events of the previous night. She just couldn't believe that she loved Jack. She did _not_ believe in that stupid compass. She did _not_ love him. And she most certainly was _not _in denial.

After tiring of pacing around, she sat down on Livna's hammock, arms folded across her chest as she glared down at the wooden trunk taking up space on the floor. Raising one eyebrow, she wondered what Livna kept in there. Deciding that it would be something to do, and could possibly take her mind off of that stupid compass, she got down on her knees in front of the trunk. The lock was old and rusted, and she snapped it off easily.

She lifted the top of the trunk, leaning over to peer inside of it. Oh, what a suspenseful moment this was. On top, there were only a few articles of clothing, which she lifted out and placed to the side, allowing a few objects of more interest to become visible. Two that would prove to be most interesting, however, were a gun and a small leather-bound journal. Thorn lifted the gun out of the trunk, running her fingers along its smooth frame. She raised one eyebrow after realizing that it was loaded, but with only one bullet. This could only mean one of two things; Livna had been marooned in the past, or she had simply used the rest of the bullets. Although both seemed a little odd, since she had never seen Livna use a gun on anyone, the second possibility seemed a bit more realistic.

Shrugging the question off for the moment, she carefully replaced the gun where it had been, on the bottom of the chest. She sifted through the other items occupying the inside of the chest, although there wasn't really much, until she came to the leather bound journal. She picked it up, pondering for a moment over wether or not she should go on and read it. She certainly wouldn't want Livna knowing all the details of her life…But the journal was _th_ere, right in her hands! It seemed like fate that she read it! She glanced towards the door, afraid that Livna would walk in on her reading the journal, and then slowly untied the strap that bound it shut.

Thorn was laying on her back on her own hammock now, journal in hands. She almost didn't want to open the journal, afraid of what she might find. But whatever secrets Livna wanted to keep from her, she deserved to know. She realized how hypocritical that sounded, but she paid no mind to it. Slowly and carefully she opened the journal to one of the earliest pages, which was crinkled at the edges and looked as though it had gotten wet at one point, and began to read.

_I've been on this island for a month and a half now; living the same way I have been since the day they marooned me. It seems as though life on the Black Pearl is just a memory, as I doubt I'll ever be part of the crew again. I'm starting to wonder if trying to take over the title of Captain was a good idea at all, since all it did was end me up here. Now all I want is to see Jack Sparrow dead, but seeing as I'm probably going to die here on this island, I suppose my wish isn't going to come true. But it's his fault I'm here in the first place! _

Thorn paused, lowering the journal from her line of vision, so she could no longer see her sister's neat, flowing handwriting. So she _had_ been marooned before. Although she hadn't guessed that Jack had marooned her. And she certainly hadn't guessed the reason. Although, Livna had been a part of the Black Pearl's crew for two years before Thorn joined them, meaning a lot of things had gone on that she didn't know about. She found it hard to believe that Livna had tried to kill Jack before, and she seemed to still want to. She had absolutely no idea that Livna wanted to be the Pearl's Captain, either. Did her sister live a whole different life that Thorn didn't know about?

Sighing, she picked up the journal and continued reading from the same page.

_And I swear, I will survive this. And when I get off of this island, I'll find a way to get back on the Pearl. I'll find a way to kill Jack and take over the Pearl. I don't know how, but mark my words; I am going to do it. I do hope it's soon though, because I don't know how much more I can take living on this island. _

Thorn stopped reading there; even more shocked than she had been before. She guessed, by the seriousness of Livna's words, that she really did still want to kill Jack. Deciding to skip to a more recent entry, she found herself reading from the most current page to be written in.

_I guess you could call today productive. Basically I've spent the past four days with Jack, but I don't think I'm really getting anywhere. I can tell he still doesn't trust me, thanks to the past. Hah, I haven't really been worrying much about Thorn's bet, but I'm starting to think that unless I can seriously start getting Jack to like me, she's going to loose. Ah well, just another person mad at me. Like I don't have enough of those already. Speaking of Thorn, she's still out on deck. For someone who claims to hate Jack, she sure does spend enough time with him. But I'm planning on doing it soon, so I guess I'll find out then. She'll either be unaffected or heartbroken, although I don't really care. She and her little bet just made my plan a whole lot easier, so I guess I owe her thanks. Part of me feels bad about keeping all this from her, but I just know that she'd tell Jack if I told her. I know she loves him, and I know she trusts me, which makes this a bit harder than it should be. But I've come much, much too far to turn back now._

And the writing stopped there. Thorn slammed the journal shut, binding it with the strap. She stood up, putting it back in the trunk and closing the lid, not worrying about the broken lock lying on the floor near it. She sat back down on her hammock, about a million thoughts running through her mind. So Livna was really planning on killing Jack, and from what she had written, soon. She sighed deeply, and thoughts of the compass ran back to her. Hypothetically, if the compass worked and she did love Jack, she couldn't let her sister kill him. But she couldn't let her kill him anyway! She could be on the side of her sister, planning to murder someone, or Jack who she did _not_ love.

She exhaled sharply, lying back down again. Much too many thoughts were still running through her mind, and she felt as though she just couldn't take it anymore. Her entire life had just become so much more complicated than it had been before. She let her head rest on the makeshift pillow, and although she didn't intend for it to happen so quickly, she fell asleep nearly instantly.

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Ah, another chapter done. Now I'm going to reward myself with some well-deserved sleep, since its 3 in the morning and I have to get up early tomorrow morning. Oh joy. Anyway, sorry if this one was a bit hard to follow. It'll make more sense later on. 


	7. Secrets Don't Make Friends

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own the Pirates of the Caribbean characters. Thorn and Livna, however, still belong to me.

I am SO sorry that it's been so long since my last update. I'm not exactly happy with this chapter, but it's a chapter nonetheless. For my next expected update time, check my profile. Be sure to R&R!

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Secrets Don't Make Friends

By the time Thorn was awake the next day, the sun was more than halfway to its highest point in the sky, sending warm golden rays streaming through the windows of her cabin. Surprised at how long she had been asleep, she remained lying on her side with eyes half-closed for a long moment before moving. And in that moment, directly after waking up, she had totally forgotten about what she had discovered yesterday, by means of a leather-bound journal.

As her senses began to sharpen and memories flooded back to her, she realized that ignorance truly was bliss. Knowledge came with responsibility - as if she didn't have enough of that before reading the journal.

She remained laying there for a long while after she had woken up, contemplating what she could do. She could: tell Livna that she had found her journal and try to convince her to stop what she was (and apparently had been for quite a while now) plotting. Of course, this idea had quite a few downfalls – most of which were dangerous. She knew Livna had some…anger problems – now she guessed they had begun after she was marooned. Livna had always kept the trunk hidden away, meaning the journal was meant to be kept secret. If she told Livna that she had read her journal, Livna would definitely get mad, which could result in quite a few things – all of which were rather painful on her account.

Mentally crossing out this option, she moved on to the next; telling absolutely no one about what she had read. Nodding slightly, she decided that this was the only way to go. She would simply have to pretend she had never even cast the wooden trunk a second glance, and do her best to shove it to the back of her mind. Of course, if Livna did try to do anything, she could always try to stop her then…One word replayed nonstop in her mind: _try_.

-x-

The afternoon came and went, and Thorn stayed locked in her room. She guessed she fell asleep once or twice, because the next time she opened her eyes, gone were the long rays of golden sunlight, replaced by darkness and the occasional flicker of starlight.

Moving to the window, she peered out onto the deck. Thankfully, she saw no one and deemed it safe to go outside. Giving a firm shake to her head, she told herself that she had to stop being paranoid. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that the trunk was just as it had been before she had even opened it. There was no evidence that she had ever read the journal, let alone gone near the trunk at all. She let out a long breath, knowing that she had no reason to be afraid of any of her crewmates.

She blinked slowly, moving to the doorframe. She heard the nearly inaudible _click_ that told her the door was unlocked, and the door swung open with only a gentle push. She was greeted immediately by the cool, refreshing night air, enveloped by more and more of it as she walked farther out, stopping only when she reached her destination; her favorite place at the bow of the ship.

She sniffed indignantly, seeing that she had, once again, missed the sunset. She had been doing that a lot lately…She really had to stop letting her problems – however big they may be (or at least seem to be) – get in the way of the small pleasures she loved so much. Because maybe those little things that brought her joy could cancel out some of the…less pleasurable things in her life. She really had to stop acting as though everything horrible that could possibly happen was being dumped on her; she had it quite good compared to some people. And she was a female pirate. Most of the troubles were brought upon her thanks to her own actions and choices.

She was finally beginning to feel more relaxed than she had in quite some time, when a sudden thought hit her like a brick. She had less than three days left to win that stupid bet. How lovely – one more thing to add on to her never-ending list of things to worry about.

She was starting to think that making the bet had been pointless. If Livna followed through with the plans she had written about in the journal, then winning the bet would be pointless anyway. And depending on how soon she carried out the plan, winning could very well be impossible.

"Hi." She jumped slightly at the voice from behind her.

"Don't laugh…you surprised me, that's all." She muttered, turning around to face Will. "What do you want, anyway?" She nearly added _it's rather late_ but she was up as well. Although she still got what Will referred to as "a few questions" but seemed like more of an interview.

"Where have you been all day? No one's seen you since yesterday afternoon," began the inquiry.

She paused as the original reason she had locked herself in the room two days ago was. That damn _broken_ compass. Although on the surface she was still trying to convince herself that the compass was broken, but knew that in the back of her mind, she was absolutely positive that it was _not _broken and it was _not _lying. And maybe, just maybe, she _was_ in denial. But only maybe.

She glanced up at Will, who was about a head taller than her, realizing she still had yet to tell him what the compass had said. Shifting her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other, she tried to come to a decision on wether or not she should tell him. He was, after all, the very person who had gotten the compass for her. He kind of deserved to know…

"I've been in my cabin." She replied with a shrug. "Sleeping, mostly." Of course, there was no reason to tell him unless he specifically asked, right?

"Well then, I suppose you're well-rested and full of energy now." He replied, raising one eyebrow as if he didn't quite believe that sleeping was all she had been doing for nearly three full days.

"I suppose you could say that…Why?" she replied warily, leaning back against the woodwork adorning the bow. She knew he was going to ask about it…Couldn't he just get it over with?

Will shrugged slightly. "No real reason. Now, I want all the details about that compass. I went through _so much_ to get it for you and I deserve to know what it said." He continued mater-of-factly, although a little over-dramatic.

"_So much?"_ she mimicked incredulously. You were in _your own room_. How traumatic could it have been?"

"Stop avoiding the question! No, no, let me guess."

She rolled her eyes, but silenced nonetheless. She tipped her head forward, prompting him to hurry up and get on with it.

"You stomped straight into Jack's room, and because you're so headstrong, you were just_ positive _that it would point to something other than Jack. Something that was the polar opposite of Jack, even. But then you learned that maybe opposites really do attract. And you learned it the hard way, didn't you? Because the compass pointed straight to Jack."

She exhaled sharply, glaring up at him with malice.

When she didn't reply, he was certain he was entirely correct, down to the last little speck of detail. Laughing slightly, he looked just as full of himself as she did on a daily basis.

"Why do you know me so well?" She complained, obviously annoyed. Folding her arms across her chest, she glared up at the person who had become a best friend.

"Because I'm your best friend." He replied, echoing her thoughts.

"If you're my 'best friend;, why are you making fun of me?" she asked, arching one eyebrow while still glaring at him.

Will shook his head, smiling slightly. "I'm not making fun of you, Thorn." He put one arm around her shoulders, glancing at her. "I'd never make fun of you. And I'll never let anything happen to you." But it seemed as though fate had other plans because something was going to happen to Thorn that even he could do nothing about.


End file.
